D Orazio & Associates Inc. Invests $235,000 in Fastenal Company $FAST

D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its position in Fastenal by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 13,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 6,900 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Fastenal by 108.1% in the second quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 100,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,235,000 after buying an additional 52,383 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its holdings in Fastenal by 109.0% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 174,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,318,000 after acquiring an additional 90,880 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. raised its position in Fastenal by 99.3% in the second quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 8,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 4,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Fastenal by 103.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,984,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,506,141,000 after acquiring an additional 18,329,847 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Hsenghung Sam Hsu purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $42.45 per share, for a total transaction of $42,450.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 9,000 shares in the company, valued at $382,050. The trade was a 12.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Fastenal Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of FAST stock opened at $40.75 on Friday. Fastenal Company has a 1-year low of $35.31 and a 1-year high of $50.63. The firm has a market cap of $46.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.08, a PEG ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 4.26 and a quick ratio of 2.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $44.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.37.

Fastenal (NASDAQ:FAST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.13 billion. Fastenal had a return on equity of 32.69% and a net margin of 15.34%.Fastenal’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Fastenal Company will post 2.15 EPS for the current year.

Fastenal Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 28th. Fastenal’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on FAST shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Fastenal in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Fastenal from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Fastenal from $45.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Fastenal from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on Fastenal in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.32.

Fastenal Profile

Fastenal Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, North America, and internationally. It offers fasteners, and related industrial and construction supplies under the Fastenal name. The company’s fastener products include threaded fasteners, bolts, nuts, screws, studs, and related washers that are used in manufactured products and construction projects, as well as in the maintenance and repair of machines.